We can all regurgitate our #1 ranked QB, the whys behind it, throw stats and tangibles out there. At the end of the day, I predict in 5 years this will be one of the top QB drafts in history. I’m not going to go as far as being THE top, but I’ll say I think they will definitely be in the top 5 classes of all time. I also think you are seeing the evolution of the black QB. For too long systems pigeon holed black QBs into the athlete role and didn’t develop the classic QB skill set. This class has 4 QBs that showcase that very well. The football IQ of Stroud, Young, Richardson and Hooker, I feel, is indisputable. I love that systems are no longer stunting the growth of black QBs. This group has an opportunity to be special, along with Levis, there are 5 guys I think have a chance to be special at the next level. The tragedy is that at least a couple, if not more, will inevitably be drafted by some bad teams and may not reach their potential based on the need to elevate them too early in their career. As a group though, I think this Fab 5 has the mental capacity to overcome those early issues and the leadership qualities to elevate the teams they end up with. I am really excited to see where this class is in 5 years.
I'll tell you guys one thing. Bryce Young not participating in the drills really threw a wrench in the whole objective of the Combine. It really watered it down and took away from the intended purpose of the whole show. Ive never been a big fan of the Combine to begin with, but when you have, arguably the two best QB prospects with all the hype and then Young doesnt participate, it really diminishes the whole kit and caboodle.
At the end of the day, I don’t know for sure that it changes a lot, but damn do I hate when a player opts out of an opportunity to compete. No they don’t have a common opponent across from them, but side by side comparisons. Just come out here and show everybody that YOU are the #1 prospect at your position. Do the drills that showcase that the best and put it to bed once and for all. I understand he had another agenda. Young had to dispel the under weight card, since he couldn’t do anything about the height card. So he had to stop training for a couple of weeks and pile on as much as he could. He packed on and out an extra 15 pounds from his Alabama weight.. and they listed him at 6’0”… so that probably wasn’t even accurate. If the kid plays below 185, he’s more likely than not going to have issues. I know I wouldn’t want to base my career (GM and coaches) on someone that might not be able to stay healthy in the bigs.
His footwork is inconsistent. Not often, and I don't know that it's a detriment to his throwing, but it can effect his movement in the pocket. For example, he can be up on his toes / hoppy at the back of his dropback - can drift a bit, too. He also sometimes takes a non-traditional dropback where his shoulders are square to the field. This is clearly a purposeful choice on his part, because he can do both. Whether or not this is something they consider an asset at the next level or a hindrance I think will ultimately depend on the OC. He's not quite "Sunday" athletic - he's not Fields or Lamar, for example. He doesn't have "throw the ball out of the stadium" arm strength, but I think he has enough for Sundays. I could probably go back and find more, but those were the ones I remember off top of dome. Again, I stand by the statement that he's the best thrower of the football in the draft.
Throwing at the combine is overrated. You put your work on tape - I'm not sure that throwing practice routes changes anything. It feels very "for the TV ratings" to me, in this day and age, and not something that actually matters. But I guess we'll see.
It’s overrated if you view it as anything more than another tool to help you clarify evals. It provides a glimpse into mechanics in a sterile environment. You get to see how the ball comes out with no reverse energy, footwork in a clean environment, simple accuracy factors like ball rotation, and sometimes you can get a clearer view of arm velocity. It should be valued the same as the rest of the combine, as reference material to confirm or add question marks.
The tip toe effect is an effort to see clearly over the line and it’s something that should be studied to determine whether or not he struggles to find viewing lanes in play development. The part where you mention ‘I think he has enough strength for Sundays’ is something that also has to be carefully evaluated. That also has to be included in the determination of if he is to be considered the best passer in the class. How do you see his accuracy across the board?
I agree, it is overrated and the game tape doesnt lie, but if you put on this 'show' it would be nice if all the hyped-up actors showed up regardless if its 'all that'.
Agree 100%. Thats all i can see it being, kinda the sole purpose of it all. Its cool for teams and scouts and the likes to get the birds-eye view of exactly what and how these prospects perform/execute... mechanics is very important and being under the microscope helps to establish and dissect the skill-sets. If Im an investor, I want to see the basic overall techniques, the natural movement without 300lb fellers looking to take your head off like in a game situation which is naturally going to cause a QB to adapt on the fly and improvise.
This is fair. I guess that I just see that "sterile environment" as being something that will never be encountered on Sundays, so I defer to the tape. But I can understand why, if you're investing the future of your billion dollar franchise on this kid, you want to see every little bit that you can. Yeah, I think the toe stuff is due to his height, but I didn't want to say that for sure - it's not something I have enough experience with to tie directly. His reads and anticipation throws are next level - if it effects his ability to see the field, he does a damn good job of overcoming it. I don't doubt his arm strength. He's not Patrick Mahomes, but I don't see him failing to put balls where he needs to. His accuracy and anticipation is the best in the class. I can't say that I've broken down his game to a great degree - baby + full time work + house hunting = I'm really just watching with some spare time and making mental notes - but I haven't seen him struggle with accuracy issues. To me, this is the noticeable difference between Young and Stroud - Young's accuracy didn't show up on the tape as problematic for me, but Stroud missed a couple key throws. We can nitpick where he placed the ball on deep throws, and I'd have to go back and watch again because I don't remember, but he didn't miss throws. I can't say that for anyone else in the class.
It comes down to two things... The teams want access to prospects prior to the draft. They can get in a LOT of interviews in one place over the course of a week. If a player had a questionable injury, they can confirm what type and what stage that injury is in currently and how it might affect them into the future. The under wear olympics do more for the draftniks than the actual clubs. If they see on film, speed/agility, they can confirm what they see with some timings, but it is always taken with a grain of salt because everyone knows playing speed is different than track speed. It's hard to tell how much a player can lose with a uniform and pads on. Another example is, it can also help confirm a glitch in a QBs release for example. It gives them something to discuss prior to the actual draft. Does the player even know about it, if he does, what has been done to correct it. If the previous coaching staff has tried and failed, what are the expectations that his new coaching staff can fix it. There are things to take out of the process in my opinion. It doesn't replace film. Never will. It is simply a metric to get all the information you can before making a decision that your career depends on just as much as the prospect's does. As for the TV ratings, that is exactly what it is for... If no one watched, do you think they would continue to televise it? There are 100's of thousands of fans that find it interesting, if they didn't we wouldn't be having this discussion. As a future employee of the NFL, it should almost be part of the process.. If asked, do... They make it too easy to get out of it these days because of the Pro Days. Speaking of Pro Days, does anyone think it is ridiculous that Alabama is now holding two pro days? Talk about taking advantage of a system. They do it for the same reasons as the NFL and the combine, they use it for publicity and recruiting. There is no reason why they need to take up two days? Michigan State is doing it now also, no doubt since Alabama paved the way. What Alabama prospect is going to want to participate in the one on March 23rd? Young isn't throwing at that one and it is the same day as OSU, USC and Pitt. The lowest level college scouts will be at the Alabama pro day. Young will finally throw at the one April 6th... Was this one that was added just for him so he has a month to get back into shape after the combine? After all, adding 15+ pounds to an athlete of that caliber isn't an east feat if they are working out regularly. Why not just move the entire pro day to the 6th? I think the University is doing a disservice to any athlete scheduled for the March 23rrd pro day. Just my two cents.
I have only seen Stroud play in one game and that was against Georgia. He impressed me the way he looked against one of the best defenses in college football history. I would take him first if I was drafting Quarterback. Bryce reminds me of Tua. And I think he’s an injury away from being a bust.
To be fair, they are all an injury away from being a bust. I'm not sure if we can call Andrew Luck a bust, but he sure as hell didn't become what we all thought he would, even if he was well on his way before the injury bug bit. So... if Young can give you, say two MVP seasons and several injury plagued half seasons, is he a bust? Just looking for parameters here. I do think that Young has more to overcome than any other prospect in the top 5. He is being hyped as the best of everyone in the draft, yet will be drafted by one of the worst teams in the league, coming off the best team in college football. He was awesome at Alabama because he was setup to succeed. I'm not sure we know what he really is. Same can be said for Stroud though. The other three QBs didn't have that luxury of having 3-5 first round draft picks as teammates during their short college careers. When Richardson, Hooker and Levis come to the NFL, they will be on teams with more talent than their college squads, even if they are considered bad by NFL standards.
My personal definition excludes any player that suffers a severe injury within their rookie contract. It doesn't matter whether they get back to the field and continue their career or not, because if they play at a high level post-injury it's no longer a question. If they play poorly after returning, how much the injury impacted them is an unknown. This also includes players that are underperforming before the injury. The potential that they never had a chance to grow into what they could be exists, so I refuse to use that label. It's not something that I like to use to begin with, and I only think it should apply to the most extreme of cases.
I mean, he made 4 pro bowls out of 6 seasons... Bust is excessive. They weren't popularity pro bowls like we see today...with exception of his rookie year. He had 30+ TDs in 3 out of 6 seasons.. He also had 14 rushing TDs to go along with 18.5 rushing yards per game. His career was 100% derailed by a catastrophic injury. He's the poster child for what we are discussing. I'm never going to put Andrew Luck and Hall of Fame in the same sentence, but the short career he had was productive. Only reason he is not still playing is the singular injury that he simply could not get over. That's the sport, right? It included 4 playoff appearances in those 6 years and 4 playoff wins... They haven't won one since...
Only Marino and Mahomes have thrown for more TDs than Luck in the first 6 seasons and only Manning, Mahomes and Marino threw for more yards. Luck was far from a bust.
Because they are football players, their uniforms consist of pads. Athletes react differently in most cases when in full uniform. Dressed the way they are, it’s like they are in their underwear. I know that was a rhetorical question, but I always answer a rhetorical question with a rhetorical answer.
